Professor

Bruce Stone

AD
3.3
Overall Ratings
Based on 60 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 2.8 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 3.8 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 3.9 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (60)

4 of 4
4 of 4
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June 18, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A

Professor Stone is overall a reasonable and chill professor and what he mainly wants is to see the effort that you put into writing. I liked how passionate and dedicated to writing he is but it is fair to say that he doesn't give the clearest formula for writing a paper (since he's against the idea of a formula anyway) so it might be a little difficult for beginning writers. The workload for this class is quite manageable and I'm pretty sure Stone is one of the best Engcomp 3 teachers out there, who don't grade harshly or too subjectively.

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June 19, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A-

Bruce did help me to improve my analytical writing skills, but he is a pretty tough grader and it is very, very, very difficult to receive an A on any of the papers unless you are willing to put in some grueling hours. Participation is also very important to Bruce, so I suggest that you sit at the front if possible, keep up with readings, and try to speak at least twice per class meeting because it will affect your grade if you do not participate. Overall, I really enjoyed Bruce but this class was definitely not an easy A.

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Nov. 19, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B

Do not take this class

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Feb. 19, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-

Professor Stone is clearly an amazing writer and cares about the subject so much that he would marry it if he could (e.g. he calls good sentences "delicious"). He clearly cares about his students (he went out of his way to try to learn everyone's names by week 2). However, this class is definitely not a piece of cake and Professor Stone holds everyone to a high expectation and grades pretty harshly on the essays (we had 3 essays). For the sample paper, he was borderline A-/B+ but ended up giving the person a B+ because she had the wrong citation. Make sure you have the correct citation!!! Also go into office hours early when drafting your essays because a lot of other students will be there as well. The reading is not heavy at all; the workload is mainly in writing the essays. My writing abilities improved drastically with Professor Stone; however, I think his class was harder than an EngComp class normally should be.

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March 2, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: C+

Very difficult class to get an A in, he grades super tough. NOT WORTH taking the class unless you really, really want to become a better writer... which I did not want as a freshman fall quarter.

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ENGCOMP 3
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 28, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: B

Prof. Stone is helpful depending on the situation. When having a 1 on 1 zoom meeting he is 4/5 helpful. In zoom lectures, around a 3/5 on helpfulness if you can pay attention. Most of the homework seems easy, but in reality, a bit hard and could take well over an hour. Overall, a good professor.

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Sept. 29, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

Bruce Stone is an excellent writing teacher – plain and simple.

If you care about becoming a better writer, take his class! More than any other class I've taken at UCLA, Stone's ENG COMP 3 class has demonstrably improved my analytical reading and writing skills.

If you are looking for an "easy A", look elsewhere – Stone is an honest grader, not an easy grader. Nevertheless, if you demonstrate genuine effort and respond to feedback, there is no reason you can't get an A in this class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Feb. 23, 2025
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: C

Worst professor at UCLA and will give you bad grades because he thinks you're using grammarly and chatgpt. Has no evidence that his students are using it and just says "I don't like how it sounds." His readings aren't too bad but when it comes to the actual writing he grades very poorly and without basis. As a premed student he told me "a C isn't going to affect your GPA that much" completely disregarding the fact that he grades on "if he likes it or not." Such a professor should be fired for his teaching style. He grades on how you writing but doesn't even teach what he grades off of.

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
June 3, 2021
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: N/A

Professor Stone is a great professor. Although, his standards are very high for his students, which is reflected through his grading. The class is graded on participation (informal assignments), 3 essays. After taking his class, his teaching has definitely helped me improve immensely on my writing and critical thinking skills. His class is definitely not an easy A class, however, it is definitely very rewarding. I definitely recommend taking Professor Stone

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
April 3, 2024
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: B

BEWARE!
This was the hardest class I have ever taken at UCLA! I simultaneously took two STEM classes alongside this class, and I cried more than I ever have over a class because of this man.... His grading is too harsh, and my friends and I would torture ourselves over his essays only to get a B-. The amount of work I put into this class was disheartening as it often felt like my effort was not being recognized. I scraped by my teeth and barely managed a B!!! Which in this case was my goal. I didn't even want an A! I JUST WANTED TO PASS! Thankfully I did but I would not recommend this class to anyone who needs to fulfill the Writing I requirement. I wouldn't recommend this class to English major as it really just a blow to your GPA to be honest. With the amount of effort, you have to put into the class, you could easily get an A in any other class. Plus, the articles as so long and hard to understand. When in discussion, you basically have to cater to what he believes. Additionally, because of his AI issue (as the other reports state), he is more encouraged to have in person exams and papers in future quarters! Thankfully, I was not one of the students accused of using AI, but the other reviews are true and he often gave full on speeches about AI. Though he is a kind person, he class was just too much for a Writing I class. This class put me through it and I'm so happy that it's over.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A
June 18, 2019

Professor Stone is overall a reasonable and chill professor and what he mainly wants is to see the effort that you put into writing. I liked how passionate and dedicated to writing he is but it is fair to say that he doesn't give the clearest formula for writing a paper (since he's against the idea of a formula anyway) so it might be a little difficult for beginning writers. The workload for this class is quite manageable and I'm pretty sure Stone is one of the best Engcomp 3 teachers out there, who don't grade harshly or too subjectively.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A-
June 19, 2019

Bruce did help me to improve my analytical writing skills, but he is a pretty tough grader and it is very, very, very difficult to receive an A on any of the papers unless you are willing to put in some grueling hours. Participation is also very important to Bruce, so I suggest that you sit at the front if possible, keep up with readings, and try to speak at least twice per class meeting because it will affect your grade if you do not participate. Overall, I really enjoyed Bruce but this class was definitely not an easy A.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B
Nov. 19, 2019

Do not take this class

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Feb. 19, 2020

Professor Stone is clearly an amazing writer and cares about the subject so much that he would marry it if he could (e.g. he calls good sentences "delicious"). He clearly cares about his students (he went out of his way to try to learn everyone's names by week 2). However, this class is definitely not a piece of cake and Professor Stone holds everyone to a high expectation and grades pretty harshly on the essays (we had 3 essays). For the sample paper, he was borderline A-/B+ but ended up giving the person a B+ because she had the wrong citation. Make sure you have the correct citation!!! Also go into office hours early when drafting your essays because a lot of other students will be there as well. The reading is not heavy at all; the workload is mainly in writing the essays. My writing abilities improved drastically with Professor Stone; however, I think his class was harder than an EngComp class normally should be.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: C+
March 2, 2020

Very difficult class to get an A in, he grades super tough. NOT WORTH taking the class unless you really, really want to become a better writer... which I did not want as a freshman fall quarter.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: B
Dec. 28, 2020

Prof. Stone is helpful depending on the situation. When having a 1 on 1 zoom meeting he is 4/5 helpful. In zoom lectures, around a 3/5 on helpfulness if you can pay attention. Most of the homework seems easy, but in reality, a bit hard and could take well over an hour. Overall, a good professor.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Sept. 29, 2020

Bruce Stone is an excellent writing teacher – plain and simple.

If you care about becoming a better writer, take his class! More than any other class I've taken at UCLA, Stone's ENG COMP 3 class has demonstrably improved my analytical reading and writing skills.

If you are looking for an "easy A", look elsewhere – Stone is an honest grader, not an easy grader. Nevertheless, if you demonstrate genuine effort and respond to feedback, there is no reason you can't get an A in this class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: C
Feb. 23, 2025

Worst professor at UCLA and will give you bad grades because he thinks you're using grammarly and chatgpt. Has no evidence that his students are using it and just says "I don't like how it sounds." His readings aren't too bad but when it comes to the actual writing he grades very poorly and without basis. As a premed student he told me "a C isn't going to affect your GPA that much" completely disregarding the fact that he grades on "if he likes it or not." Such a professor should be fired for his teaching style. He grades on how you writing but doesn't even teach what he grades off of.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: N/A
June 3, 2021

Professor Stone is a great professor. Although, his standards are very high for his students, which is reflected through his grading. The class is graded on participation (informal assignments), 3 essays. After taking his class, his teaching has definitely helped me improve immensely on my writing and critical thinking skills. His class is definitely not an easy A class, however, it is definitely very rewarding. I definitely recommend taking Professor Stone

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
ENGCOMP 3
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: B
April 3, 2024

BEWARE!
This was the hardest class I have ever taken at UCLA! I simultaneously took two STEM classes alongside this class, and I cried more than I ever have over a class because of this man.... His grading is too harsh, and my friends and I would torture ourselves over his essays only to get a B-. The amount of work I put into this class was disheartening as it often felt like my effort was not being recognized. I scraped by my teeth and barely managed a B!!! Which in this case was my goal. I didn't even want an A! I JUST WANTED TO PASS! Thankfully I did but I would not recommend this class to anyone who needs to fulfill the Writing I requirement. I wouldn't recommend this class to English major as it really just a blow to your GPA to be honest. With the amount of effort, you have to put into the class, you could easily get an A in any other class. Plus, the articles as so long and hard to understand. When in discussion, you basically have to cater to what he believes. Additionally, because of his AI issue (as the other reports state), he is more encouraged to have in person exams and papers in future quarters! Thankfully, I was not one of the students accused of using AI, but the other reviews are true and he often gave full on speeches about AI. Though he is a kind person, he class was just too much for a Writing I class. This class put me through it and I'm so happy that it's over.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
4 of 4
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